Admission requirements

For admission to the Master’s Degree course in Computer Engineering, students should have a university degree or diploma awarded following a three-year course, or another qualification taken abroad and recognized as equivalent.
Before enrolment, students’ possession of curricular requisites must be verified, along with the level of their personal preparation, according to the methods specified below, and comprehensively defined in the course’s academic regulations.

1) Curricular requisites
To enrol for the course, students must have attained a three-year university degree or diploma, or another qualification considered as equivalent, or, in successive documented university education, at least 105 learning credits overall in the following groups of scientific disciplinary sectors, with the specified limitations:

Any curricular integrations, in terms of the attainment of further university credits, must be performed before the assessment of individual preparation.

2) Assessment of the level of personal preparation
The assessment of personal preparation is always necessary, and is distinct from the possession of curricular requisites. Assessment of individual preparation can be considered satisfactory if the qualification required for access to the Master Degree course was attained with a mark not lower than a certain minimum mark as stated in the Course Regulations. If this is not the case, a student’s personal preparation is assessed according to the methods described in the Academic Regulations, by a special Commission for individual interviews, the outcome of which is certified for successive enrolment.

Key learning outcomes

The Second Degree course in Computer Engineering was designed with the objective of training qualified, highly specialized consultants, capable of working both in the areas of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and in different sectors of application in which this technology is used. As well as a solid cultural foundation, the course therefore necessarily provides specialist knowledge of the methods, techniques and tools necessary for the development of high-quality information technology systems, and the technical and professional expertise necessary for their fruitful application in the solution of specific practical problems.
The specific training objectives for the Second Degree in Computer Technology are as follows:
- the acquisition of sound theoretical and applied knowledge of the various fundamental sectors of information technology;
- detailed knowledge of the scientific approach to experimentation, and skills in understanding and applying mathematical tools necessary for information technology expertise;
- detailed knowledge of the principles and structures of processing systems, and the development of operational and laboratory skills necessary for their application;
- detailed knowledge of foundation and advanced techniques for the analysis, design, development and maintenance of information technology systems and networks;
- knowledge of various sectors of application;
- the acquisition of a foundation in professional culture and corporate organization;
- effective skills in the use of at least one European Union language in addition to Italian, in the area of professional operations and relations, and in particular, the comprehension and production of scientific and technical documentation in English;
- the ability to work both in a group and independently, accepting organizational responsibility and performing coordination activities.

The syllabus allows the definition of appropriate course structures, which will focus the skills acquired towards certain areas of specialization. These course directions always include the activities necessary for the attainment of the academic objectives indicated above. More specifically, the course comprises traditional lectures and laboratory work, and independent and group design work of a highly experimental and practical nature, both at public or private-sector companies or external organizations, and within the University’s laboratories. The latter activities will be performed during work on the dissertation, for which a high number of credits (from 21 to 27) are assigned, in accordance with the students’ commitment and time dedicated to this part of the course work.

Career opportunities

The professional areas of work typical of graduates holding a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering are those of production innovation and development, advanced design, industrial automation, planning and programming, and the management of complex systems. These activities may be performed both as freelance consultants, and within manufacturing or service industries, or in public administration.

More specifically, graduates from the Master’s Degree course will find employment opportunities at:
- companies designing and manufacturing computer products and systems (software, hardware and services);
- service companies (for example, in the banking and transport sectors) and areas of public administration that design and develop information technology systems, including distributed and mobile technology;
- companies that manufacture integrated systems utilizing innovative information technology components (for example, in the fields of electronics and telecommunications);
- companies using innovative information technology tools in manufacturing, management and marketing processes;
- manufacturing companies performing work on the design and construction of complex system architectures, automated systems, processes and equipment for automation and robotics utilizing information technology components, measurement, transmission and actuation devices;
- companies working in the area of design, production and operation of equipment, systems and infrastructure for the acquisition and transport of information, and its use in telematic applications;
- research and development centres in both public and private sectors, operating in areas of innovation within the field of computer engineering.

Knowledge and understanding

Master’s Degree graduates in Computer Engineering possess a foundation in mathematics, physics, electronic technology and telecommunications, and they also have specialist knowledge in the subjects of information technology and automation.
As regards the fields of information technology and automation, students possess knowledge and skills of comprehension that develop from, and reinforce, those acquired in the first cycle degree, enabling them to develop and apply original ideas, which may include the study and application of international specialist scientific literature.

Applying knowledge and understanding

Master’s Degree graduates in Computer Engineering are capable of utilizing the knowledge acquired during the course for the solution of complex problems related to new themes, or themes that are part of more extensive (and possibly interdisciplinary) contexts linked to computer engineering. Graduates will be able to integrate diverse knowledge and independently analyse, design, implement and manage complex systems.
More specifically, the subject areas developed in detail during the Master’s Degree course are: information technology systems, distributed systems, systems of industrial automation and robotics.
These objectives will be pursued both by means of in-depth theoretical courses and institutional, experimental and design activities, including those performed for the Master’s Degree dissertation. The attainment of the objectives will be assessed by means of tests and the Master’s Degree examination.

Making judgements

Master’s Degree graduates acquire skills in working independently and without supervision. Therefore they have to be capable of collating information and data within their technical and scientific field, in an objective, thorough and perspicacious manner. The course, which develops the theoretical and methodological aspects of a variety of subjects, including the latest developments in research, helps give students an open and critical approach, oriented towards the selection of the most suitable solution to complex and multi-faceted problems. Laboratory project work and the degree dissertation encourage the development of independent skills in evaluating and selecting the most appropriate, innovative, convenient and effective techniques and solutions amongst those available in a fast-developing area such as information technology.
The Faculty offers courses providing a preparation for State examinations regarding the ethical aspects of the profession and its social impact.

Learning skills

The ability for independent study, necessary for the supervised or unsupervised comprehension of advanced textbooks, scientific articles and technical documentation published in English, is attained by means of the academic and laboratory work comprised in the course.
The implementation of projects with a relatively high degree of complexity in the fields of information technology and automation as part of correspondingly complex research activities represents a method of developing students’ capacity for shaping their own academic learning career independently, according to their own interests and the problems to be solved.

Communication skills

Communications skills are acquired by work on projects, which are predominantly developed in groups which often include doctoral and post-doctoral research graduates, or external technicians. This group work comprises continuous discussion and the presentation of the work performed or planned. These projects are an integral part of the assessment activities associated with many areas of teaching. In addition, the final examination, which focuses on the development of advanced and innovative themes developed within both companies and research laboratories, makes it possible to acquire skills in the communication of ideas and solutions, whether in general circles or in an environment of specialists and researchers working in the sector.

Final examination, if any

The final examination consists of the preparation and discussion of an individual dissertation (which may be compiled in English, French or German if so desired), prepared under the supervision of a professor, and regarding a wide-ranging, detailed study of a theme in the information technology field, whether theoretical or applied.
A number of credits reflecting the commitment necessary from the candidate, including the actual time spent on the work, are assigned in the final examination. The paper is presented in an open session, in the presence of a Commission specially nominated by academic staff.